» 8 p.m. Tuesday at the Garden Theatre, 10th Avenue and 18th Street on the campus of the University of Northern Colorado. The show is free. Bring lawn chairs and blankets.

» 8 p.m. July 26 at the Moxi, 802 9th St. in downtown Greeley. Go to moxitheater.com for tickets.

» 4:40 p.m. Saturday at the New West Fest in Fort Collins on the Old Town Square Stage.

» Aug. 15 at JBS headquarters as a fundraiser for the United Way of Weld County. Go to www.theburroughssoul.com for tickets.

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The Burroughs began on an open mic night at Patrick’s in downtown Greeley, when Craig Basarich saw Johnny Burroughs sing Bill Withers.

It was a little funny, to be sure, to see a guy who sort of looked like Rick Astley — he even had the red hair and pale skin — belt out a song from the ’70s funk artist known for “Lovely Day,” among others. But just like Astley, an ’80s pop star who sang “Never Gonna Give You Up,” Burroughs’ voice didn’t match his looks. He killed it. Basarich approached him after the set and told him they should form a soul band.

I’ll get the horn players, Basarich told Burroughs. You get the rythym section.

Burroughs recruited his brothers and other guys he had sung with for years. Basarich got some horn players he’d performed with in jazz bands or marching band at the University of Northern Colorado.

They played their first show on July 26 at the Moxi. It was supposed to be just a fun gig; a chance to play some old Stevie Wonder or other Motown hits, but it went so well they agreed to see how it went and maybe play a few more shows. Now, just a year later, the band’s already secured some of the more prestigious spotlights in Greeley, including Friday Fest, the Greeley Arts Picnic and this Tuesday, UNC’s Concert Under The Stars. Tuesday’s gig excites the band the most because the evening air, blankets and picnic baskets will give them a rare chance to sing some Louie Armstrong and Etta James; the slower, more soulful stuff that doesn’t play well in bars and weddings.

The band’s also released its first album in June, a four-song EP with original music available on iTunes and other places, to accompany its live recordings.

It seemed like everything just fell into their laps, but Basarich said that wasn’t quite the case. Yes, the first show went well, but they played easy covers. They didn’t really hit a stride until October, after three months of practice and writing their own arrangements. Once October arrived, they wrote a half-dozen original tunes; songs that Johnny had written years ago that they rearranged, and they were off.

“It just started to be really fun,” Basarich said. “I mean, for a guy who just loves the blues and Motown songs, to do it well, it’s a dream.”

It began to feel that way even more once Greeley took notice. They’ve had a couple bad shows — gigs where only a dozen people showed up — but that’s never happened in Greeley, Basarich said, which explains why they’ve been booked for some of the juicier slots in less than a year of existence.

The money’s been good, too, with many wedding gigs and corporate appearances rounding out the public performances. But as with many bands, it’s not enough for the members to make a living without doing day jobs. Many do have jobs, and a couple have families. As a result, the band will be in transition soon, though it will remain the Burroughs. Basarich will go to Washington, D.C., and the band’s other trumpet player, Jordan Skomal, will play their farewell gig on July 26 again, on the band’s anniversary gig at the Moxi, where the crazy year began. Both will get a master’s degree in performance.

The band wasn’t sure it wanted to record any kind of an album at all, but now they’re glad they did. It’s now a time capsule of a year to remember.

“We can look back on it,” Basarich said, “and say this is what we had for that year.”

It just started to be really fun. I mean, for a guy who just loves the blues and Motown songs, to do it well, it’s a dream. Craig Basarich musician, The Burroughs